Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU-CMU Post-Game Quotes
March 06, 2004 | Women's Basketball
March 6, 2004
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -
BGSU COACH Curt Miller
"At this time of the year, tournament time, it is survival and move on. That's what we had written on the board in the lockerroom. The kids were happy to hear that we would not critique a lot of game film after the game; I just told them that we had to win however we could win. To our kids' credit, we found a way to win. We didn't play our best basketball, but the home court was certainly a factor."
"All year long, our big goal was to get to Cleveland, and we'll be the rookies there. We'll sign up for anything they want us to do, because we're happy to be going to Cleveland."
"The pressure is now off of us. To have such a good year, and to many a surprising year, had we not won today and gotten to Cleveland it would have been a very disappointing finish. The pressure is off now. I think you will see a loose team have a lot of fun there, and play their hearts out. This team really believes. I'm really excited to take this team and see how we play in Cleveland."
(Was this a situation where good shooting masked some other problems?)
"It took us three games to figure out how to exploit their switching man-to-man defenses on ball screens. We would be left with posts rolling to the basket against guards. If we were patient and had a good night passing the ball, we thought we could get some mismatches in the post. We got 38 points between three post players -- (Ali) Mann, (Liz) Honegger and (Kelly) Kapferer -- and I thought that was the difference. I felt like, when we didn't turn it over, that we were shooting a high percentage."
"I felt like it was an ice hockey game or a soccer game in the first half, and the time of possession was at their end. We could never get the ball. We were playing tremendous defense. Let me give you a stat: they scored 21 points at the arc, and they had 23 offensive-putback (second-chance) points. That leaves 10 points in the game that did not come from three-point shooting or putbacks. Our defense was tremendous, but when you ask players to play a minute or more at a time (in one opponent possession), you're eventually going to have a defensive breakdown, as well as we were playing defensively. It's a huge concern. We will definitely have rebounding drills in tomorrow's practice. I thought our defense was fantastic, but they controlled time of possession, and we couldn't get the game as up-tempo as we wanted in the first half."
(On BGSU's 8-0 run to end the first half)
"Multiple players on our team can score, and the run at the end of the first half was huge. Our kids were so much more confident in the lockerroom, and (they had) a coach who was about ready to become a lunatic in the lockerroom, if that run doesn't happen. That, probably, was the difference in the game."
(On the Falcons' 12-0 run early in the second half)
"I felt the crowd was involved in that run, and I felt our energy was better. We were both limping to that timeout. Both teams were tired, and I think you saw a Bowling Green team find the dagger right there. We played a little bit harder to that stretch, because both teams were desperately trying to get to that media timeout. Through that run, we got some breakaway layups because of the defense. Once again, I hope Lindsay (Austin) gets the credit she deserves; she is a fantastic defender. If you don't believe so, look at Erin Kuhl's stat line. Lindsay absolutely took her out of her game."
(On the effect of this win on the program)
"There are seven freshmen that have never lost. They don't have that 'woe is me' kind of attitude, they believe we are going to win. That's the best thing. I've been fighting that for two-and-a-half years, (to get to the point that) we are a good team, and we have to believe that we can win. When we started this journey, one of the big steps was, 'how do we change the losing mentality?' Because, there is certainly talent on this team. Hats off to Lindsay and Stefanie's last home game. I hope they get the recognition they deserve around this conference, because they are truly the leaders behind this resurgence."
(On Western Michigan, BGSU's next opponent)
"There are so many good teams in this league, and injuries can be such a factor. But, just like (Toledo's) Mark Ehlen did last year (when UT's Tia Davis suffered a season-ending injury), Western Michigan lost the first game after Casey Rost got hurt, but they turned around and won the next few games without her. They quickly learned how to play without her. They have a tremendous freshman in Carrie Moore, who will just continue to get better and better. And, at this time of the year, you have to depend on your seniors, and I think Lori Crisman will take on an added dimension for them. I have ultimate respect for Ron Stewart and his program. Despite the injury to Casey Rost, they will be a very tough matchup for us."
BGSU JUNIOR Kelly Kapferer
(Is it safe to assume that coach was not very happy with the rebounding at halftime?)
"That's a safe assumption. But, we knew rebounding would be one of the keys to getting to Cleveland, and we just had to work a little harder in the second half. I think Liz (Honegger) padded her stats on that one possession (laughing), but it ended up working out for us."
(On heading to Cleveland:)
"Our goal for the tournament is just to stick together and focus on one game at a time. That's what (coach Miller) said in the lockerroom. Tomorrow, we will worry about the next game."
"Central played us really well here the first time. Despite their record, they have a lot of talent on their team. They're a team that you should never overlook. Those are the teams that can really hurt you, especially during tournament time, so we took them very seriously."
BGSU SENIOR Lindsay Austin
(On BGSU's scoring runs)
"We came out (to start the second half) with a 10 point lead. We didn't want the game to come down to the wire, and we knew we needed one or two more good runs to put them away. We picked up the defense and tried to rebound. (The rebounding) wasn't as successful as we hoped, but we got another run and got a pretty good lead."
(On her role in the defense)
"I just try to put pressure on the ball, and cause anything to happen to disrupt their offense even a little bit."
"We got to go to Cleveland, and I was lucky enough to get to experience that. From that point on, you feel like you will go again. But, we didn't go my sophomore year or my junior year, so this year is my last chance. Stefanie (Wenzel) and I have been very focused (on going to Cleveland), and our freshmen are just incredible. We're going again, and I'm just happy it worked out that way."
CMU COACH EILEEN KLEINFELTER
"First of all, hats off to Bowling Green. They've done an outstanding job of turning things around this season, and earned a spot at Gund Arena. That certainly is a goal that all teams have, so hats off to Curt Miller."
"The thing that jumps off the (stat) page is the shooting percentages. We wanted to outrebound them today, and we did that. We got a surprising 26 offensive boards, but just couldn't get the ball in the hole. But, Bowling Green is a very veteran team with great leadership out of Austin and Wenzel, and others complementing them."
(On BGSU's run to end the first half)
"It was 23-21, and then all of a sudden, it was 31-21. Sure, it takes the wind out of your sails, and that's something that we've been dealing with this year. We had great starts against a lot of teams, and it seems like, somewhere in the first half, we have a lapse. A lot of that is due to substituting with young people. I think, when we get to the point where we have a little more of a veteran bench, we will be in better shape."
"Kapferer had a nice first half. She had some nice turnaround jumpers on the block, and then a baseline jump shot in the second half. Five-of-eight (shooting); she contributed in a big way for them, in only 14 minutes of play."
"It wasn't the prettiest game, but it's tournament time, and you've got to crank it up."
